The Xavier Musketeers were able to erase a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat the Texas Longhorns in their First Four game by a score of 86-80, earning them a Round of 64 berth for the first time in two years.
“My initial thoughts are that’s one of the greatest games I’ve been a part of. Obviously, the energy of the crowd. Our fans certainly took advantage of the proximity to Cincinnati,” Xavier head coach Sean Miller chuckled during the postgame conference.
The game was played in Dayton, Ohio, just a 52-minute drive from the Xavier University campus.
“When we needed them, it was certainly a factor in the game,” Miller continued. “We really appreciated it… We knew we beat a really good team from the SEC. We knew going into the game it was going to be a great challenge… There were just times in the game where it didn’t feel like it was going to go our way, but I’ll just stick with resilience. It’s the badge of this group. Right when you think you’re going to count us out, we win. Right when you think things aren’t going to go well, we have found a way. I think that’s a great characteristic in any NCAA tournament, and we certainly have that.”
Senior guard Marcus Foster led all Xavier players in scoring with 22 points on a night where he shot eight for nine from the field. In the fashion of a true leader, he gave credit to other members of the team.
“Really, my teammates just found me in the open spots,” Foster said. “I was just confident in my shot. I just shot it, and it went in today. That’s a good day. We needed that performance for us to pull out the victory. Like I said, I’m glad my teammates were confident in me.”
XAVIER COMPLETES THE COMEBACK 🤯
They’ll keep dancing as they advance to the First Round!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/3y6UCph6fA
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2025
Senior forward Zach Freemantle and junior guard Ryan Conwell were able to overcome early foul trouble and combine for 26 points despite each of them recording four personal fouls in the game.
“We just try to not let it affect us. You’ve got to play the game the way you’re going to play the game,” explained Freemantle. “If they’re going to call fouls, then it is what it is. But, if you let a couple fouls make you play soft and make you back up or whatever, you’re going to end up giving up points. You’re going to end up losing the game. So we’ve just got to keep fighting through it.”
“You can only control what you can control,” added Conwell. “Just going out there, trusting that my teammates have got my back, and that my coaches will put me in the right position to succeed on the court despite the fouls. That’s what we did today.”
Miller ended the presser by once again talking about the electric energy in the building and overcoming adversity.
“It was an amazing atmosphere and environment. Amazing. And, it was a great win for us. One of the best that I’ve been involved with,” he said. “I’m so proud of our team. I thought that, a couple times, Texas really had us on the ropes tonight. But, we hung in there and fought through it, and I think that makes the victory even sweeter.”
On March 21st, Xavier will play the sixth-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini in the Round of 64 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. EST.
